PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The Plymouth State University softball team was picked to finish third in the Little East Conference (LEC) as the league announced its Preseason Coaches' Poll on Friday.
 
Plymouth State totaled 42 points, edging out UMass Dartmouth and Southern Maine, which were tied for fourth with 41 points. Eastern Connecticut State, the reigning regular-season champions, earned eight first-place votes to top the poll with 64 points. UMass Boston, which upset the Warriors twice in the LEC Tournament before coming through the losers' bracket to defeat PSU in the title game, collected the final first-place vote to rank second with 50 points.
 
Western Connecticut State (29), VTSU Castleton (23), Keene State (18), and Rhode Island College (16) rounded out the bottom half of the poll.
 
Head coach Mike Bernier looks to build on last year's success. The Panthers went 28-16 last spring – the second-most wins in program history – while advancing to the LEC Tournament championship game for the first time since 2018.
 
Bernier will look to a pair of two-time All-LEC outfielders to power the PSU offense in senior Kenzie Bessette (Cranston, R.I.) and junior Avery Couch (Fort Worth, Texas). Bessette, who earned National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-Region honors for the second straight season, posted a stellar .485/.536/.618 slash line atop the Panthers' lineup last year and set a program record with 38 stolen bases. Couch provided the power in the middle of the order, leading the league with six home runs and finishing second with 39 RBIs while hitting .308.
 
Senior shortstop Emily Bessette (Cranston, R.I.), senior utility Abbey Nezuch (Marlborough, Mass.), and senior first baseman Keelie Wells (Milford, N.H.) are all expected to play key roles in 2026, while senior pitcher Emily Antrim (Limerick, Maine) will anchor the staff after posting a 2.84 ERA a year ago.
 
Plymouth State opens the season with 13 games in seven days at THE Spring Games in Florida beginning Mar. 14. Conference play opens Mar. 28 with a doubleheader at UMass Dartmouth, while the home opener is set for Apr. 14 against VTSU Castleton.